Republic of Hazur
A Neo Faerun city and sub-faction located on the island of Hazur in the Shining Sea. History The First Exarch Originally the city of Hazur was a trading port owned by the dwarves of Thindol. Because of the large amounts of valuable minerals and ores in the mountains on the island, the small city increased in size as the dwarves invested more time and money into it to increase their mining profits. As the world went dark from the Cataclysm, the dwarves filled the mines with slaves and laborers to make as much money as possible. A massive slave uprising rose up in defiance of their dwarven overlords when a slave named Domitian Belus arranged a large massacre of the dwarves living on Hazur. The dwarves of Thindol failed to send a proper response to the original uprising, and their token force was ripped apart before it even reached the walls of the city of Hazur. With their new Exarch, the city of Hazur prospered like never before. The economy and power was gathered into the hands of Domitian, and the city grew in size and a lot of people migrated to see this new aristocrat-less city. As the city grew in size and started rivalling the cities of Thindol, the dwarves grew wary. Afraid the leader of their newfound eastern rivals wanted revenge, Thindol gathered a large army to take Hazur back and stop the threat they saw in Domitian Belus. They were stopped halfway there when a large fleet of pirates stopped them, with Domitian Belus at the head. After a short and brutal naval battle the army of Thindol fell apart, a land based army who stood no chance as their boats started blazing. After a short siege of New Lundeth, the Exarch of Hazur died of a mortal wound to the chest. The Successors After the death of their father there was a schism between the three sons of Domitian. Each one considered himself more fit to take the role of Exarch, and looked down on his two brothers. Julianos Belus demanded ultimogeniture succession, with the army at his back. His brothers wanted elective succession and primogeniture succession, but knew neither of them could actually stop Julianos if he pushed his claim with the city guard. While Lucio Belus appeased Julianos for as long as possible, Calio Belus managed to hire a large amount of mercenaries and willing men into a small army to rival his brother's. After a short and intense civil war known as the First Civil War of Hazur between Julianos on one side and Calio with Lucio on the other side, the city guard was more or less ripped apart and replaced with family retinues for each of the large families. Julianos put the rest of his surviving men into his family retinue, while Lucio and Calio split the mercenaries and willing men between them. Striking a deal between the three of them, they decided to make Calio the new Exarch of Hazur, but it was now an elective position that would be elected every second year. With their brother as Exarch, Julianos and Lucio made an agreement to practically take the power out of the Exarch's hand and put it into a larger council of members instead. Lucio's agents broke into Calio's mansion during night, and took his whole family hostage and gave him Lucio's demands. It was only a matter of hours before the Trade Council of Hazur, a council supposedly made to help advice the Exarch on his job and how he should govern the city. In all, but name the actual governing body of Hazur. The Third Thindol War Thindol looked eastward yet again, and saw Hazur weakened for the first time since it had gotten autonomous. Thindol's aristocrats poured their money together to create yet another army to fight its eastern rivals. The massive force of people landed on the shores of Hazur just some few miles from the city itself, unopposed by the trading city. After leaving the ships behind, only hours passed before they could see smoke behind them. Scouts told them all of the ships had been put ablaze by a smaller fleet of ships running the Hazurian flags. In other words, they had no way to leave Hazur if something went wrong. The siege lasted a short while before the men of Thindol fell apart by the constant harassing Hazurians. At night sudden fires were started, in the day there was archers on the walls if they were close to the walls, or mercenary horsearchers if they tried to camp further away. Small and decisive strikes happened constantly, slowly ripping the larger Thindol army apart. In the end they sued for peace to the Exarch of Hazur. Julianos who had once been the Commander Supreme of Hazur gathered together all of the Thindol men together with his own family retinue, and demanded to be given ships by his oldest brother. Calio was skeptical about the whole idea, but decided it was worth a try, and if nothing else he was rid of Julianos who had been nothing else than trouble since the Civil War. Instead of the positive messages they expected back in Thindol, they were suddenly assaulted by the very same army they once sent out to attack Hazur in the first place. After a short and brutal war between the panicking dwarves and Julianos' army, Thindol sued for peace and its leaders was brought before Julianos. Thindol was pulled apart and each of its different cities became a puppet city of Hazur, the first trade ports and allies of the Republic of Hazur. With a massive army at his back with nowhere to go and nobody to fight, Julianos was turning homewards with it. On the ships back home Julianos suddenly fell ill, and was dead before the ships returned to Hazur. The son of Julianos, August Belus, demanded reperations and justice for his father. After a long and bloody trial, Lucio Belus was executed for high treason by his older brother. As he returned to his chambers later that night, an agent of Lucio Belus was waiting for him, and the last son of Domitian Belus met his fate. The three grandsons of Domitian Belus took their father's name as their last names, and a new generation of Belisians took the mantle of leadership. August Julianos, the son of Julianos Belus took on the role of Exarch after the death of his uncle. Gaius Calianos, the son of Calio Belus, took the role of Administatorè Supreme. Tiberius Lucianos took the role of Intelligence Supreme after his father Lucio Belus, and was the prime suspect of killing the old Exarch, though he was never convicted nor even brought to trial in fear of more murders. Government Exarch Originally the position of Exarch was a monarch position held by Domitian Belus as he took control of the city and recreated it in his own image. After his death, the position was more or less ripped apart by his son and lost most meaning. Though it lost most of its meaning, the Exarch is still seen as the leader of the city and is the leader of the Trade Council of Hazur. Each Exarch is voted into position by the meaningful people of Hazur for a 2 year long period, by a vote held every second year. Trade Council of Hazur The Trade Council of Hazur is where the real power of the city truly lies, where the laws and decisions of the Exarch is truly made. Every person at the Trade Council is the head of a large and respectable merchant family, that has bought its way into the upper echelons of politics in the city. Every single year every member of the Council has to donate a certain amount of gold to the Council to retain their position, otherwise they will be thrown out. The way into the Trade Council is a long and hard one, by the simple fact membership cost 100 000 gold coins. This exclude all, but the truly rich and powerful families. Though money itself cannot get you a position, but you will also have to be sponsored by one of the three leading families, the Belisians. Belisian Factions There are three large factions in the Council, each led by one of the three descendant families of the sons of Domitian Belus. These are old prestigious families with practically infinite wealth and their roots so deep into the city you can see their influence in every dark corner and in every marble tile, and with an intrensic story filled with backstabbing and political maneuvering and blood feuds. The Julianos - Domination The Julianos family is the descendants of Juliano Belus, the youngest son of Domitian Belus. The Julianos faction resolves around domination by force, both in the politics in the city and in their foreign politics. Considered by some to be "brutish" and "overcompensating", there is few who denies their effectivity (especially to their face). Though there is little left of the original city guard framework, what is left is controlled by the Domination faction and their underlings. Though ruthless and decisive against its enemies, the faction have shown repeatedly to put a lot of work and effort into keeping the city safe and keeping the population happy. The Lucianos - Control The Lucianos family is the descendants of Lucio Belus, the second son of Domitian Belus. The Lucianos faction resolves around absolute control of both the populace inside the city and the trade outside of the city. It is the smallest of the three factions, and is usually the insecure faction that can swing to either side when it comes to disagreements in the Trade Council. Though it is the smallest faction by far, the amount of information and the spy network under the family's control has put many a trader in a disadvantageous position during trade negotiations. With its ears and eyes throughout all of Neo Faerun, the Lucianos have kept the city of Hazur safe many a time. A hidden knife in the dark, a message at the right time and place, all to keep the Republic safe. The Calianos - Expansion The Calianos family is the descendants of Calio Belus, the oldest son of Domitian Belus. The Calianos faction resolves around mercantile expansion and free capitalistic trading. Inspired by the original influx of power after Domitian Belus ascended to the position of Exarch, the Expansion faction believes the Republic of Hazur should try to expand by focusing on trade, either by proxy or by direct control. By promoting the creation of companies, by inspiring the populace to create new villages and try new trades, the Calianos hope to export the culture of Hazur to other places, and force other cities into trade negotiations and into a trade network benefiting Hazur. Other Factions It is not uncommon to see other temporary factions rise as the Trade Council discuss different matters. Unlike the three main factions of the Council these factions are temporary and unofficial in mind and matter. Administratorè Supreme Voted by the members of the Trade Council every second year (opposite year to the Exarch) as the leader of the lesser Inner Trade Division, a smaller governing body in charge of trade and mercantile problems. As the leader of the governing body deciding the fate of merchants inside the city, it is a role sought by all three factions, as it brings a lot of power to negotiations inbetween the factions. Intelligence Supreme Unlike the Adminstratorè Supreme, the Intelligence Supreme is not a position voted on by the members of the Trade Council. The position is firmly held by the Lucianos, and has been since the death of Lucio Belus. Controlling the national spies, eyes and ears of Hazur he is responsible for telling the Trade Council of the dangers to the city. However they are known to choose what and when to tell the council to have a maximum profit for their own politics and ideas. Commander Supreme The Commander Supreme is not an actual position nor title any longer, since the fall of the city guard after the First Civil War of Hazur. It has been brought up as a temporary position of power when the Julianos exterminated the pirate threat to the trade network, and when the Julianos brought a third war to the doors of Thindol. Culture Patrons and Clients The patron and client relationship is one that influence every single person in Hazur, from the lowest beggar to the richest merchant families. Clients ask for favours or help from their patrons, and in return they will help out if there is a vote or if they can support their patrons in other ways. Patrons on the other hand, protect their clients and help their business if needed, and in return they ask for help or support by their clients if something is needed, like a night raid of a rival merchant family or to gather people of a lower rank for a mission or a new business. The patron and client chain goes from the Belisian families through their friends and lower merchant families throughout the city and down to the beggar in the street, and every person play his or her part in this massive chain. Trade Network The massive trade network of the Republic of Hazur is what truly makes the city stand out and is the true core of the city. Spreading from the city of Hazur throughout all of the Shining Sea and north into the Sea of Swords and the Sword Coast. With internation trading and moving wares from one city to another the Hazurians and the city of Hazur has grown wildly rich compared to most other places, with a constant small profit in almost all their trades. This affects most of the life in the city, as you can see the merchant aristocratic families instead of the more normal nobles in other cities, and you can see it in the architecture and the life in the city. The city has a very small percentage of poor people compared to most cities, as the poor people are usually brought into trade and sailing by the richer families so they can sustain themselves. Festivals Festivals are a commonplace occurence in the city, usually sponsored by several of the richer merchant families. Exotic animals and bards are brought into the city to entertain the populace, together with food and drinks to keep them in a good mood during the festival. You can usually see these festivals before a voting, or after the end of a blood feud between richer families. The Belisian families are known to throw festivals just to keep the populance happy if they feel like it has been too long since the last time something happened in the city. Masquerades Masquerades are normal among the richer families in the city with everyone dressing up and wear specially made masks. The intermingling between sons and daughters of the different families and the chances of different alliances is the official reason they hold the different masquerades. However the heads of the different families use these opportunities to plot and scheme the fall of different families, to find out more about the host families and finding a dead body or two is relatively common during one of these masquerades. Carnevals A mix of the more aristocratic masquerades and the more common festivals that have taken place in recent years, these are like extra large festivals where everyone dress up and have fun in the streets. A carneval in the honor of Lliira is held every summer to celebrate life itself, to the enjoyment of all the populace in Hazur. Personal Retinues The city of Hazur has no official city guards after they were disbanded by the scheming of Calio and Lucio Belus. They were replaced by the family retinues all the most important families have. Keeping the peace in the areas close to their family mansions, the guards of each family is what keeps the city and their area in the city safe. Having learned how a happy populace is what truly drives their wealth, most merchant families have spent a relative high amount of money on guards to keep themselves and their clients safe. Relations Neo Faerun The Republic of Hazur have good relations with Calimport and the leadership of the Neo Faerun Order. By sending gifts and donations every now and then, Hazur has managed to stay relatively autonomous, but has also ended up with Hazur having no effect on the ruling council of Neo Faerun. Hazur have a good relationship with most other Neo Faerun cities aswell, after several decades of trading and creating its massive trade network across the Shining Sea and up the Sea of Swords. Lolth's Domain Unlike other factions, Hazur don't have any personal trade ports under Lolth's Domain, but they have agreements with traders from some of their cities which brings them into the trade network of Hazur. Having grown accustomed to each other, the traders of Lolth's Domain and Hazur is currently on friendly terms and the trade has brought both sides a prosperous relationship. Everbloom The Hazurians have settled some few tiny trade ports in Everbloom areas, and have trade agreements with some of their cities. They have a relatively neutral relationship. Epsilon The Hazurians have never managed to really get along with Epsilon nor its cities, and they have had several disagreements in the past. Epsilon have raised the question about the safety of the new trade network owned by Hazur, and have been skeptical about becoming a part of it. Thay Hazur has no relations with Thay as of yet. The Moonshae Isles Hazur have a contract with the different cities of the Moonshae Isles, and have a local trade network between the different cities outside of its normal international trade network. The local Moonshae Isles Hazurian Trade Company is settled in Caer Calidyrr and is in absolute autonomous control of all trading in Moonshae Isles. The Moonshae Isles Hazurian Trade Company is however a part of the international trade network of the Hazurians, and is the main source of resources and wares from the Moonshae Isles. Pirates Originally Hazur had a problem with pirates raiding their trading ships. After a long military campaign led by the Julianos family and the complete extermination of several pirate hideouts, the raids on Hazurian ships have practically stopped. At times Hazur employ pirates in their business for certain tasks, though these are short temporary agreements lasting only as long as the mission they have in mind does. Notable Families The Julianos (Domination) * Julianos * Cisco * La Morte * De Oliviero * Cappocia * Constantini * Pellecchia The Lucianos (Control) * Lucianos * Scalisi * Cecchetti * Mandato * Di Santi The Calianos (Expansion) * Calianos * Grimwood * Arduini * De Argentiere * Malizia * Di Alma * Chiodo